This invention relates to the game of golf, and more particularly to an improved device for correcting the putting stroke of a golfer by compensating for the inherent misalignment of his or her putting stroke.
Thorough testing of the putting strokes of thousands of golfers has shown that nearly all golfers have misaligned putting strokes. Such testing may be conducted by utilizing a device of the type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,984. Striving to improve their putting game, many golfers have relied upon stroke correcting devices to provide calibrated sight indices which are designed to compensate for putting stroke misalignments. One such device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,839, comprises a plurality of angularly spaced lines which are placed on the upper surface of the club head to aid with the alignment of putts on sloped greens. That device, however, does not attempt to correct any inherent misalignment of a golfer's putting stroke.
More pertinent to this invention are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,680,860 and 3,826,495, which are directed to a method of correcting a putting stroke by determining the normal angular error introduced into one's stroke. In one embodiment this prior art device relies upon a light source eminating from the target and reflecting off of a displaced mirror to a measuring scale. The problem with this device is that it does not equate to an actual putting stroke, because the golfer being tested does not hold a club (putter) at any time during the test. Moreover, the test does not provide for a direct measurement of the degree of misalignment, but rather a mere approximation of that degree. Although a golf club is employed when testing with the device disclosed in my above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,984, it is anchored to a horizontal surface so that it may always be realigned to the target. This prevents the device from being portable, and therefore it is not very accessible
Accordingly, it is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a correcting device comprising a putter and associated light source which can be utilized directly to measure a golfer's tendency to misalign the putter face when lining up a putt.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved putting stroke correcting device which is portable, and therefore is capable of determining putting stroke misalignment in a variety of locations, both outdoors and indoors.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple device of the type described which can be utilized quickly and accurately to determine and correct any putting stroke error attributable to misalignment of the putter head.
Other objects of this invention will become apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.